Most horrific crimes

California couple charged with holding their kids captive

California couple David Turpin, 56, and Louise Turpin, 49, were charged in January with with committing years of torture and abuse against the 13 malnourished siblings they allegedly kept captive in their home.

Both pleaded not guilty to counts of torture and abuse. David Turpin is also charged with one count of lewd act on a child.

Prosecutors revealed shocking details in the case as they announced the charges. They said the siblings, who range in age from 2 to 29, were allegedly tied with ropes and chains as punishment and were severely malnourished. A 17-year-old escaped the house and alerted authorities.

Credit: CBS News

Woman pleads guilty to incest after allegedly marrying birth mother

Misty Velvet Dawn Spann, left, pleaded guilty to incest in November after she was accused of marrying her birth mother, Patricia Spann, 42.

The mother lost custody of her children -- who were later adopted -- when they were little. She and Misty "hit it off" when they reconnected in 2014, Patricia later told investigators.

Patricia thought the marriage was legal because her name was no longer on Misty's birth certificate, records say. Patricia was also charged with incest and sentenced to two years in prison.

Credit: KOTV

Man allegedly kills woman for nixing proposal

Christopher Tucker, 34, was accused of killing a 19-year-old woman in November after she declined his marriage proposal.

Police said Tucker, from Pennsylvania, confessed to the crime.

Authorities said the victim was strangled, her neck was snapped and her eyes were gouged out. She was also beaten with a hatchet.

Credit: CBS Philly

Parents charged in baby's gruesome death

Zachary Koehn and Cheyanne Harris were charged with murder in October 2017 after authorities found their 4-month-old son's body rotting in a swing in their Iowa home.

A medical examiner, who found maggots in the baby's clothing and skin, said the child hadn't been removed from the swing in more than a week.

Credit: KCCI

Pregnant woman found dead, baby found elsewhere

The body of 22-year-old Savanna Greywind, who was eight months pregnant when she disappeared, was found in a river near her Fargo, North Dakota, home in August 2017.

Couple accused of killing pregnant woman, taking baby

Crews and Hoehn were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and giving false information after Savanna Greywind's disappearance.

Crews told police she invited Greywind to her apartment on Aug. 19 -- the day Greywind was last seen alive. Hoehn said Crews later presented him with an baby girl and said: "This is our baby, this is our family."

Crews was sentenced to life in prison in February 2018.

Credit: Cass County Sheriff's Office via AP

Woman allegedly abandons special-needs son in woods

New Jersey woman Debra Wisler was arrested and charged with child endangerment after her 10-year-old special-needs son was found in the woods.

The mom allegedly walked the boy into the woods with his luggage and left him there. Detectives believe she abandoned her son after learning he was not eligible for a child program at a military base.

Credit: KYW-TV

Man allegedly hid girlfriend's body in freezer

Ohio prosecutors said Arturo Novoa stored his girlfriend's corpse in a freezer and had another woman, Katrina Layton, pretend to be the dead woman.

Layton allegedly moved into the victim's house, used her credit cards and cared for her dogs.

Credit: Youngstown, Ohio, Police Department

Teen accused of killing Uber driver

A 16-year-old girl in suburban Chicago was charged with murder in May after police accused her of stabbing an Uber driver to death.

Two minutes after being picked up, Eliza Wasni "hack[ed] and stab[bed]" Grant Nelson from the back seat, prosecutors allege.

Nelson died at a hospital a few hours later.

Credit: CBS Chicago

Man accused of hiding in ex's attic, attacking her

Taylor Broussard, 21, secretly lived in the attic of his ex-girlfriend before he assaulted the woman in May 2017, sheriff's deputies in Louisiana say.

Credit: WWLTV

Teacher accused of kissing students

Police say a Florida teacher had been trading candy for kisses from students, an act that earned him two battery charges in May 2017.

Brian Kornbluth pleaded guilty to two charges of simple battery after he was accused of luring two students to his classroom with gummy bears and kissing them on the lips.

Credit: Boca Raton Police Department

Woman allegedly maces fast-food workers over french fries

Eiram Chanel Amir Dixson sprayed maced some Minnesota fast-food employees during an argument over the freshness of french fries, according to local police.

The restaurant manager was hit in the face, and another employee was also hit. Dixson faces one charge of "use of tear gas to immobilize."

Credit: Anoka County/CBS Minneapolis

Army vet accused of killing dog

An Army veteran fatally shot her therapy dog while her soldier boyfriend filmed it, according to charges filed in April 2017.

Officials said Marinna Rollins tied the dog to a tree, shot it five times at close range and buried the animal in a shallow grave. She was charged with animal cruelty.

About 10 days later, Rollins was found dead in her apartment. Detectives said her death was believed to be a suicide.

Credit: WNCN

Man kills baby daughter on Facebook Live

A man in Thailand hanged his 11-month-old daughter and streamed it on Facebook Live before killing himself in April 2017.

Police said the 20-year-old man and his wife had been fighting before he killed their daughter. The two bodies were found in an abandoned hotel in Phuket province.

Credit: Sooppharoek Teepapan/Reuters

Man accused of posting murder on Facebook

Cleveland police said Steve Stephens, 37, shot an elderly man to death, then posted a gruesome video of the killing on Facebook, Cleveland police said.

After a nearly two-day-long nationwide manhunt for Stephens in April 2017, he was found in Erie, Pennsylvania, and fatally shot himself after a pursuit, police said.

Credit: Cleveland Police Department

Woman accused of leaving paraplegic man to die in woods

Ruby Kate Coursey of Georgia was charged with felony murder in April 2017 after police say she left her partially paralyzed ex-boyfriend in the woods to die of exposure. He died of hypothermia.

She pleaded guilty in June.

Credit: WMAZ

Woman allegedly chokes girl for blocking view of fireworks

Tabbatha Mature, 41, was charged with child abuse after allegedly choking a girl who was blocking her view of a fireworks show in Florida's Disney World in April 2017.

Deputies said Mature grabbed the high-school girl by her neck, squeezed and pushed her head toward the ground. Mature's lawyer denied the charges.

Credit: WKMG-TV

Parents accused of movie-inspired murder and cover-up

Heather Franklin and Ernest Franklin II are accused of killing their special-needs adopted son and attempting to cover up the crime with a house fire, in a plot inspired by the movie "Manchester by the Sea."

They were indicted on charges of murder and arson in March 2017.

Credit: WBNG

Florida man accused of stabbing roommate in goodbye hug

Randy Herman Jr., 24, is accused of fatally stabbing his roommate after hugging her goodbye and giving her a gift.

When Herman called police to report the March 2017 murder, he said: "It was me. I'm sorry," according to officials.

Credit: CBS News

Couple allegedly tried to sell baby

A couple tried to sell a 5-month-old baby on Craigslist for $3,000 in March 2017, according to Tennessee authorities.

Deanna Lynn Greer and John David Cain were charged with child abuse and endangerment after they were allegedly caught trying to sell the baby to an undercover officer.

Credit: Greene County Sheriff's Office

Teen accused of decapitating mother

A teenager accused of decapitated his mother in March 2017, North Carolina law enforcement officers say.

Oliver Funes Machada, 18, who allegedly told dispatchers that he beheaded his mother "because I felt like it," was charged with first degree murder. His public defender said, "He's a pretty profoundly disturbed young man in a mental health kind of way."

Credit: WNCN

Liquor store owner beaten to death with wine bottle

Rochester, New York, liquor store owner Charlotte Lahr was beaten to death with a wine bottle by a man who robbed her store in March 2017, police said. Her killer, Kevin Quander, was sentenced to 36 years to life in prison in October 2017.

Credit: WROC

Nurse allegedly recorded naked patients

Pennsylvania nurse James Close, 45, was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in prison after he recorded videos of naked female patients.

In February 2017, a 17-year-old patient noticed a suspicious-looking phone recording her while she was undressed. Investigators say they found more than 12 videos on the suspect's phone of the girl and other patients.

Credit: CBS Philly

Caretaker allegedly performed provocative dance on 100-year-old

An elder-care worker performed a provocative dance on a 100-year-old assisted-living resident, Ohio Police say. The 26-year-old caretaker pleaded no contest to attempted gross sexual imposition in November 2017.

Credit: KDKA

Man allegedly drags dog behind wheelchair

A 59-year-old Texas man faced animal cruelty charges in February 2017 after allegedly dragging his German shepherd behind his motorized wheelchair.

Credit: KGBT

Man allegedly punches bishop during Mass

Charles Miller was charged with assault after allegedly punching New Jersey Bishop Manuel Cruz in the face during a Mass in January 2017. He pleaded not guilty.

Credit: CBS New York

Dead girl found "concealed" in family's restaurant

Ashley Zhao, age 5, was found dead and "concealed" inside her family's Ohio restaurant in January 2017. Her mother was charged with murder, and her father was charged with complicity in the case, CBS affiliate WOIO reported. They pleaded not guilty.

Credit: WOIO

Woman allegedly grabs EMT's groin

Shellby Conder was charged with battery on an officer in January 2017. Police say she drank five beers in a Walmart aisle before assaulting an EMT while she was in handcuffs, CBS affiliate WKMG reported.

Credit: CBS affiliate WKMG

Deputy allegedly tries to kill elderly woman

Florida Sheriff's Deputy Frankie Bybee was charged with attempted murder in January 2017. Authorities said he tried to kill a 79-year-old woman he had been defrauding.

Credit: WTSP-TV

Four suspects charged in live-streamed attack

Four suspects were charged with hate crimes and aggravated kidnapping and battery after allegedly assaulting a special-needs teen. Chicago police said that, in January 2017, the suspects kidnapped the victim, threatened him with a knife and taunted him with profanities against white people and President-elect Donald Trump.

Credit: Chicago Police

Naked woman allegedly leads cops on high-speed chase

A naked Arizona woman allegedly stole a sheriff's department truck in January 2016 and led officers on a 70-mile highway chase before she was taken into custody.

Credit: KPHO/KTVK

Man allegedly sprays women with semen

Timothy Blake was charged in December 2016 with multiple crimes after Ohio police said he stalked women at a Walmart, using a syringe to spray them with his own semen.

Credit: Washington County, Ohio Sheriff's Office

7-year-old shot 20 times

A'yanna Allen, 7, died after suffering 20 gunshot wounds while she was sleeping in a North Carolina home in December 2016.

Her grandmother told authorities that someone shot through a bedroom window. No one has been arrested in connection with the death.

Credit: Photo courtesy of family/WBTV

Toddler locked in wooden box

Police in Indiana said a 3-year-old girl was found locked inside a wooden box. The child survived; related charges were brought against nine adults in December 2016.

Credit: WLFI/WSBT

Teenage boy allegedly kills girl in her bedroom

Police in Baltimore accused a 15-year-old boy of fatally shooting 16-year-old Charlotte Zaremba in her bedroom in January 2017.

Credit: Facebook

Man allegedly kills stepmother for "gloating"

Pontrey O'Neal Jones was arrested in December 2016 for allegedly stabbing his stepmother to death. She "gloated" over the Dallas Cowboys winning a game, according to Austin police.

Credit: KEYE

Alleged murder posted on Snapchat

Devin Katzfey, 20, Sarah Zakzesky, 20, and Branden Katzfey, 19, pleaded guilty to murder charges after a Milwaukee murder victim was allegedly beaten and forced to eat cat litter in an attack posted on Snapchat in December 2016.

Credit: Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office

Inmate allegedly kills jail officer

Inmate Tramell MacKenzie Hunter is accused of killing correction officer Lisa Mauldin and injuring another officer in a December 2016 attack at a Texarkana jail. He said in court that the officer was "messing with my life," but he pleaded not guilty.

Credit: Eric Pointer

Baby looked like "skeleton"

Aislyn Miller and Kevin Fowler were convicted of child neglect in October 2017 after bringing their malnourished and injured 9-month-old twins to an urgent care facility in Oklahoma.

A nurse told police that one child "looked like a skeleton" and reported seeing a maggot crawling on the baby.

Credit: CBS affiliate KOTV

Man accused of firing gun in "Pizzagate" restaurant

Edgar Maddison Welch faced federal charges after allegedly firing an assault rifle in a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant. He later told The New York Times he went there to "investigate" a (very false) conspiracy theory about Hillary Clinton running a child sex ring out of the eatery.

No one was injured in the incident. Maddison pleaded guilty to charges related to the incident in March 2017.

Credit: AP

Teen found decapitated

Manuel Viloria-Paulino, 16, was found decapitated along a Massachusetts river in December. A classmate was charged with his murder.

Credit: CBS Boston

Mother and daughter found dead in well

The estranged husband of Dawn Elizabeth Ward was charged with two counts of murder after Ward and her daughter, Taylor Lynn Carroll, 14, were found dead in a well in North Carolina in December.

Credit: WNCN

Professor stabbed to death

Grad student David Jonathan Brown was charged with murder, accused of stabbing to death a University of Southern California professor, Bosco Tjan (seen here), in December.

Credit: USC

Teen accused of killing mom, brother

A 14-year-old Pennsylvania boy was accused in December of shooting his mother and 8-year-old brother as they slept and calling 911 to insinuate his father killed them, according to police. He was charged with first-degree murder.

Credit: CBS Pittsburgh

Mom says she killed two kids

An Indiana woman was sentenced to 120 years in prison after killing her two children in November 2016.

Credit: WTTV

Ex-NFL player shot to death

Ronald Gasser was convicted of killing ex-NFL player Joe McKnight (seen here) in what New Orleans police believe was a road rage-related shooting in December 2016.

Credit: WWL

Teen dragged into woods, shot in head

David Grunwald, 16, who went missing in Alaska in November, had been led into the woods and fatally shot once in the head, according to court documents. The teenage suspect in the fatal shooting said another teen shot Grunwald.

Credit: KTVA

Cheerleader killed

High-school football player William Riley Gaul found guilty in May 2018 of first-degree murder after shooting through the bedroom wall of his ex-girlfriend, Emma Walker, while she was sleeping in Tennessee in 2016.

Credit: YouCaring

Man accused of dismembering parents

Tennessee man Joel Michael Guy was indicted on murder charges after he was accused of killing and dismembering his parents before scattering their body parts all over their house over Thanksgiving weekend 2016.

Credit: Knox County Sheriff's Office via WVLT

Dad allegedly shoves fingers down baby's throat

Missouri dad Robert Burnette, 19, was charged with child abuse resulting in death in after allegedly shoving his fingers down his crying infant's throat in November 2016. Police said the baby's mother watched without intervening.

Credit: CBS affiliate KMOV

Four-year-old girl fatally shot

Three Texas teens allegedly attempting to rob the mother of 4-year-old Ava Castillo fired shots at the family's car and fatally struck the girl in November, according to local law enforcement. The teens have been charged with murder.

Credit: CBS affiliate KHOU

Man allegedly abuses horse

Chris Emerson was charged with animal cruelty in South Florida after allegedly trying to ride his malnourished horse from South Carolina to Key West in November 2016.

Credit: CBS Miami

Man allegedly kept 2 girls, 3 women as sex slaves

Richard Jackson was arrested in Detroit in November and charged with running a sex trafficking operation out of his home. He allegedly forced two girls and three women into prostitution, according to court documents.

Credit: CBS Detroit

Child found dead in pigsty

Heather Jones was sentenced to life in prison in November 2016 in connection with the death of her 8-year-old stepson, Adrian Jones, whose remains were found in the family's pigsty in Kansas. Investigators feared the boy's remains were fed to the pigs.

Credit: KCTV

Cops: Mom texted video of dead toddler

Christian Clark, 21, was charged with criminal homicide in Pennsylvania in the death of her 17-month-old son, Andre Price III, and attempted homicide of his 2-year-old sister, Angel.

She allegedly sent a video of the dead toddler to the boy's father during an angry exchange in November 2016.

Credit: Allegheny County Police Department

Mom accused of injecting feces into son's IV

In November 2016, Indiana mom Tiffany Alberts, 41, was charged with injecting feces into her teen son's IV while he was undergoing cancer treatment.

Credit: Marion County Jail

Alleged cop-killer uses kids as human shields

A man suspected of fatally shooting a Tacoma, Washington, police officer was shot to death by authorities after a November 2016 standoff in which the suspect used two children as human shields. The children were not injured.

Credit: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Woman found "chained like a dog"

A woman was found chained "like a dog" in a storage container on a South Carolina property, leading to the discovery of three bodies there, authorities say.

In February 2017, indictments revealed that Todd Kohlhepp confessed to keeping another woman in the storage container for six days before shooting her in 2015. He had also killed other women. Kohlhepp is serving seven life sentences for seven murders.

Credit: Spartanburg County Sheriff

Daycare worker allegedly hangs, injures toddler

A 16-month-old boy was hospitalized after a Minneapolis daycare worker allegedly hanged him at the center in November 2016. Police say a parent dropping off a child "rescued" the toddler and called 911.

Credit: CBS Minneapolis

Girl found alone at bus station leads to shocking find

After finding a 5-year-old girl abandoned at a bus station in November 2016, New York police investigated her home, where they found her mother dead. The girl's father was arrested and charged in connection with the murder. He pleaded not guilty.

Credit: CBS New York

Man accused of killing roommate over beer

Justin Vankirk of Pennsylvania was convicted of manslaughter in connection with his roommate's death after he beat the victim to death during an argument over beer in October 2016.